Tesla brought its long-awaited Semi truck reveal to the masses, and surprised us all with the reveal of a next-generation Roadster.

They came to see a Semi truck. But they left talking about a Roadster.

That about sums up Tesla’s press event Thursday evening at Hawthorne Airport in California. From Semi to Roadster, and a collective display of automotive technology that was pretty darn close to amazing. Together, the debuts represented a fascinating pairing of beauty and beast, one designed to showcase the spectrum of possibilities that come with electric propulsion and autonomous driving.

How fast? Try 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds for the Roadster.
How Powerful? Jump in the Semi and do 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, with a full 80,000-pound load.

True, that might not have been the point of the surprise Roadster add-on, but the potential of electric and autonomous capability was clearly evident: A truck that’s safer, more powerful and more efficient, and a fast and furious roadster that will blow your socks off with style and speed.

It’s also a great reminder of Elon Musk’s boundless ambition and desire to dream and plot fantastic things, even when the company he heads struggles to execute production of their most important vehicle. After all, dreams and plans don’t stop even when the production line won’t start, and eventually issues with Model 3 production will be sorted out.

Production in 2019 and 2020

Just as impressive as its performance numbers, the all-wheel drive EV supercar delivers a driving range of 620 miles on a single charge.

(Tesla)

Tesla will nonetheless charge ahead with production for both; the Semi due in 2019 and the Roadster in 2020. Skeptical? You may want to take note of how much Tesla’s stock price jumped when J.B. Hunt and Walmart announced plans to submit an order for multiple Semis: According to CNBC, Tesla shares rose 4.5 percent in morning trading.

"Reserving Tesla trucks marks an important step in our efforts to implement industry-changing technology," said John Robert, J.B. Hunt president and CEO in a press release. "We believe electric trucks will be most beneficial on local and dray routes, and we look forward to utilizing this new, sustainable technology."

A drayage route is when a truck carries freight a short distance, as part of a longer trip, a task the Semi is designed to do: Tesla claims that the Semi is capable of 500 miles of between charges, which fits into the mileage range requirement for 80 percent of freight in the U.S. ismoved less than 250 miles.

Tesla Semi

Tesla claims that the Semi goes 0-60 mph in five seconds (compared to15seconds in a comparable truck), and 0-60 mph in 20 seconds with a full 80,000-pound load. It promises to climb5 percent hill grades at65 mph,and requires noshifting or clutching. Itsregenerative braking recovers 98% of kinetic energy to the battery.

The cabin is akin to a high-tech command center, with the driving position in the center for visibility, and two touch-screen monitors at either side. The concept includes built-inconnectivity with a fleet management system, to support routing andremotemonitoring.

Tesla is planning to develop Megachargers in metro areas. These are high-speed DC charging centers, and (theoretically) will add 400 miles of charge in 30 minutes. Safety-wise, the Tesla Semi is designed with total impact resistant glass, onboard sensors that prevent jackknifing and surround cameras to minimize blind spots. Tesla’s Semican also travel in an autonomous convoy, where multiple Semi trucks autonomously follow a lead Semi.

Tesla Roadster

Say hello to the second-generation Tesla Roadster. Tesla calls this all-electric supercar the “quickest car in the world,” and it has the numbers to match.

(Tesla)

Tesla also rolled out the new Roadster (surprise!) and made a promise to sell copies by 2020. Performance-wise, the Roadster, which seems more like a concept and less like the debut of a production vehicle, will go 0-60 mph in just 1.9 seconds, with a top speed of 250 mph.

No horsepower or kilowatt figures were announced, but they did note a driving range of 620 miles; here’s hoping the actual production vehicle gets close to that. Sticker price (as of now) is $200,000, with a limited-edition Founder’s Series model selling at $250,000.